Arming Police Does Not Lead to Increase in Shootings, Study Finds

The research by Monash University is likely to fuel ongoing debate over how training, tactics and police culture influence use-of-force outcomes.

Police on guard at Opera House ahead of the New Year's Eve fireworks display on Dec. 31, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. George Chan/Getty Images

Routine arming of police officers in Australia has not led to a spike in officer-involved shootings, according to a new Monash University study that challenges a long-standing assumption about firearms and police violence.

The study, which examined 50 years of data and 581 shooting incidents, found that the introduction of routine firearm carriage in New South Wales in 1991 and Victoria in 1993 was not followed by a spike in shootings. In fact, shooting rates declined over time, although researchers caution the policy was not the cause of that trend.